Answer this question truthfully
### Question: Who is at highest risk for Lyme disease ?
### Response: Individuals who spend time outdoors and/or have pets that go outdoors in endemic regions are at risk for tick-borne disease.
Exposure to ticks: Individuals with frequent exposure to dogs and who reside near wooded areas or areas with high grass may also be at increased risk of tick-borne infection. Individuals with outdoor occupations and who work outside with bare or exposed skin are at a high risk of contracting Lyme disease. Failing to remove a tick as soon as you see it on your skin (the longer a tick is attached to your skin, the greater your risk of developing Lyme disease) also increases risk of developing Lyme disease.
Endemic Regions: About 95% of all reported cases are confined to 14 states including Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Any individual traveling or living within these five geographic areas including New England, Mid-Atlantic, East-North Central, South Atlantic, and West North-Central is at a heightened risk of exposure to Lyme disease.
Seasonal Variation: The majority of Lyme disease cases are reported during the summer months of May to August. Case incidence increases in May, peaks in June and July, and tapers off in August.
Rarer forms of Transmission: Cases of blood transfusion and organ transplantation have been recorded as methods of transmission but transmission through this avenue is rare.